Youth Mentoring

G. Anne Bogat & Jean E. Rhodes

Mentoring “is a relationship between an older, more experienced adult and an unrelated, younger protégé—a relationship in which the adult provides ongoing guidance, instruction, and encouragement aimed at developing the competence and character of the protégé” (Rhodes, 2002, p. 3). Many youth indicate that their social networks include mentors (referred to as natural mentors ), and about 2.5 million American youth have an adult volunteer mentor in their lives. Most mentoring programs create one-on-one matches between a child or adolescent and an adult. Youth are typically referred to programs because they are perceived to be in danger of a variety of poor psychosocial outcomes (e.g., scholastic failure or underachievement, juvenile delinquency). Mentoring programs have been established in various locales (e.g., the workplace, the community, the school) and by diverse organizations (e.g., youth development groups, schools, corporations, faith-based organizations). Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is probably the best-known mentoring program, with ...

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